WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:07.240 I'm going to invite you, I'll just say good morning to you and glad to see everyone here for the series that we're in together on the topic of belief, we're going through the 00:00:07.300 --> 00:00:14.420 first three chapters of Genesis and dealing with really the major themes of what makes Christianity and the beliefs 00:00:14.420 --> 00:00:18.620 that summarize the pillars of what Christianity is about. 00:00:18.660 --> 00:00:25.760 And together we've looked at the identity of God, the identity of man, our sinful nature, God's plan of redemption, and redeeming us 00:00:25.760 --> 00:00:32.020 from the curse of sin and Adam's sin that's upon us and his plan for that and his kingdom. 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:36.170 And today, one of the topics we are going to address, I'm going to let you know ahead of time. 00:00:36.700 --> 00:00:40.210 I am going, we're not going to keep this very well. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:46.120 This is going to go very wide and very deep because we're on the topic of the Trinity, the Trinity. 00:00:46.520 --> 00:00:51.240 We're going to look at in the beginning in Genesis, the first couple of chapters and how it establishes itself. 00:00:51.640 --> 00:00:53.000 But we're going to trace this theme throughout scripture. 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:54.260 So I'm gonna let you know ahead of time. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:55.040 We're going to bounce around. 00:00:56.260 --> 00:00:57.260 I want to hit this hard. 00:00:57.260 --> 00:00:57.910 I want to hit it heavy. 00:00:58.360 --> 00:01:02.420 I want to answer all of the difficult questions that people may ask about this. 00:01:02.440 --> 00:01:03.570 I would say people find it difficult. 00:01:04.120 --> 00:01:07.000 I find it very simplistic in the way scripture communicates that. 00:01:07.300 --> 00:01:08.720 Do you have any questions about the Trinity? 00:01:08.820 --> 00:01:10.760 This should alleviate some of those. 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:17.880 This is a pillar of the Christian faith and so this is one of those topics I'm going to address so deeply that this is probably, if you 00:01:17.880 --> 00:01:25.040 have any questions about the idea of the Trinity, you may even want to go back to our website and watch this sermon over again just so 00:01:25.040 --> 00:01:29.960 you can have some of the questions that often hear about the Trinity and living in Utah. 00:01:30.020 --> 00:01:37.500 A lot of the questions I find about the topic of the Trinity are based on false assumptions of what Christianity believes about the Trinity and 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:44.500 so when you go to answer a question for someone about the Trinity when they're already operating, operating from a false assumption, you have to first begin 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:52.020 with the correct way of thinking before you can answer questions related to what the Trinity is about and hope this is helpful for you as 00:01:52.020 --> 00:01:55.570 it is for those who may be able to communicate what the idea of the Trinity is. 00:01:56.780 --> 00:01:59.720 There are three principles or three truths about the Trinity. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:04.520 I really want to harp on and for us to take away from that together. 00:02:04.520 --> 00:02:09.500 We're going to make some application together and then I'm going to answer some peripheral CRA questions about the Trinity. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:17.600 When it comes to the topic of the Trinity, the Bible certainly proclaims it, but 00:02:17.640 --> 00:02:22.720 one of the complexities is that while the Bible proclaims that I don't think that we can fully comprehend it. 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:31.260 Though I believe we can apprehended and what I mean is when it comes to the idea of God, when we dive into the nature of God, the character of God, 00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:38.620 we might expect that since God is a being higher than us, holier than us, greater than us, that to wrap our minds around everything that is connected 00:02:38.620 --> 00:02:42.400 to God, our minds may not fully be able to comprehend it, but it can. 00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:43.690 It can in some ways apprehended. 00:02:44.160 --> 00:02:45.030 Let me just give you some examples. 00:02:45.960 --> 00:02:51.150 The topic of the Trinity isn't, the only thing I would say is something that we can not comprehend but apprehend. 00:02:51.660 --> 00:02:59.180 When we talk about God's nature in general, the incommunicable characteristics of God, which is characteristics we don't relate to him, and those 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:03.000 are often characteristics we can't always comprehend as it relates to God. 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:10.320 Meaning when you talk about an eternal God existing before anything else exists, it's not a topic that we can necessarily comprehend 00:03:10.320 --> 00:03:13.280 our mind, but we can apprehend that is, that is who God is. 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:16.320 Someone who is all powerful, all knowing. 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:20.990 That is the being an existence of who God is incomprehensible. 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:29.740 But apprehendable when we talk about the word Trinity, I think it's important to say that it 00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:30.860 is not found in scripture. 00:03:32.320 --> 00:03:34.020 The word Trinity isn't found in the Bible. 00:03:34.040 --> 00:03:35.900 And that doesn't mean that it's not biblical. 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:43.880 Because when we say the word Trinity and talk about it not being found in scripture, there are many words we use today in relationship to understanding God 00:03:43.880 --> 00:03:45.360 that are not found in scripture. 00:03:45.980 --> 00:03:48.250 Though we use it in summary of his identity. 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:53.320 Words like omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence. 00:03:53.480 --> 00:03:58.280 Not words found in scripture, but words that we've come to understand who God is. 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:00.840 All powerful, all knowing everywhere. 00:04:01.060 --> 00:04:01.160 Presence. 00:04:02.740 --> 00:04:09.760 The word atonement was one that, William Tyndale formulated when he was translating scripture. 00:04:09.760 --> 00:04:16.820 It's one that we've come to embrace and our English language, but previous to Tyndale wasn't a word that was used that was word that he formulated together in 00:04:16.820 --> 00:04:21.820 order to summarize the identity of what God has done for us and the way that we can understand it in our language. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:23.260 And so that was an invented word. 00:04:23.460 --> 00:04:26.840 Just because the word Trinity is made up doesn't mean it's not biblical. 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:35.280 I've heard people often assert that the word Trinity was a part of the apostasy that came in the Nicene creed, 00:04:35.880 --> 00:04:39.600 which is a completely inaccurate to history. 00:04:40.870 --> 00:04:43.730 Tertullian was the first one historically that used the word Trinity. 00:04:44.200 --> 00:04:46.970 He started, Tertullian was born in the second century. 00:04:47.140 --> 00:04:50.350 He was a church leader or early church father. 00:04:50.980 --> 00:04:53.240 He used the word he was, he actually spoke Latin. 00:04:53.240 --> 00:05:00.580 So the word he used was tryna toss where he said, it's una substantia trace persona, which is one substance, three 00:05:00.580 --> 00:05:01.140 persons. 00:05:01.140 --> 00:05:09.220 And describing the Trinity, I a and just particularly to me do not, do not prefer 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:14.540 the word Trinity, actually like the word try unity, which emphasizes the threeness of God and the oneness. 00:05:14.700 --> 00:05:15.040 The Trinity. 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:18.760 I think emphasizes the threeness, the word unity emphasizes the oneness of God. 00:05:19.340 --> 00:05:22.940 But the word Trinity came long before the Nicene creed. 00:05:22.940 --> 00:05:30.120 It was a, it was a word that Tertullian use to summarize what he discovered in scripture, so that rather than just define 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:37.200 the full nature of God, he summarized this idea or this concept of God's nature in just one word. 00:05:37.700 --> 00:05:44.900 And so rather than give this long, lengthy explanation, his purpose in and using the word Trinity was to fine tune what he meant about the 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:47.820 nature of God rather than describing it out. 00:05:49.280 --> 00:05:56.460 And so if we were to just begin the journey of understanding why we believe in the Trinity, where this comes from in the Bible, if you were to just 00:05:56.460 --> 00:06:02.060 start in the book of Genesis, in chapter one it says this very first few verses of the Bible. 00:06:02.780 --> 00:06:04.720 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:12.700 The earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was moving over the serpent surface of 00:06:12.700 --> 00:06:13.240 the waters. 00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.130 Then God said, let there be light and there was light. 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:21.720 So what you see in the very first two verses the Bible is God speaking in the spirit hovering, right? 00:06:22.420 --> 00:06:29.440 You start to see this idea of a distinction in his being and even the book of John when it starts in John 00:06:29.440 --> 00:06:36.540 chapter one it says this in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:45.120 John starts with a similar way that Genesis starts in the beginning and just as Genesis starts with God speaking in the spirit 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.720 hovering here, we're looking at God, the father and Jesus. 00:06:47.820 --> 00:06:54.320 Jesus is referred to as the word though the word in the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:57.580 What in the world is happening here? 00:06:58.960 --> 00:07:05.640 If you go back to the book of Genesis chapter one again, and you see when God's making man and he makes us in his image, listen to the way he describes this. 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:14.020 God said, look at this and the plural, let us make man in our image according to our likeness and 00:07:14.020 --> 00:07:16.720 let let them rule over the fish of the scene. 00:07:16.720 --> 00:07:20.060 Over the birds of the sky and over the creeping things that creep on all the earth, right? 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.190 The cattle and all over the earth and every creeping thing. 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:26.100 So verse 26 he says, in the plural, let us make man. 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.780 And so people have asked the question, okay, who is this us? 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:33.100 What does, what does the plural word that's being used in the context of scripture? 00:07:33.100 --> 00:07:35.160 When God makes man, what is he formulating it? 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:39.060 And then some people here have asserted, well, it's God and the angels. 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:40.290 He's building us in that concept. 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:47.220 But then when you read verse 27 and explains it, he says this, God created man in his own image, in the image of God. 00:07:47.460 --> 00:07:48.140 He created him. 00:07:49.260 --> 00:07:56.720 So it starts in this plurality in verse 26 but then it goes to the singular thought in verse 27 what 00:07:56.720 --> 00:08:00.830 is this plural yet singular thing that's being described in scripture? 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:07.200 Another interesting comment we've used in the series together is Deuteronomy six four we've gone to this often. 00:08:07.260 --> 00:08:08.720 It's the great Shamal of Israel. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:12.160 It's the word Shamala comes actually from the first couple of words here. 00:08:12.180 --> 00:08:12.740 O Israel. 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:19.840 This word in the Hebrew says Shamar Israel, Yahweh, Elohim, Yahuah Cod. 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:27.130 That's why it reads in the Hebrew and this one, this word for one is an interesting word, it Cod in Hebrew. 00:08:27.460 --> 00:08:34.760 It's literally a plurality of one when you, when you study it in the Hebrew language, the way that Hebrew commentary is often used to describe 00:08:34.760 --> 00:08:36.480 this word is a cluster of grapes. 00:08:37.380 --> 00:08:44.740 This is the substance of one yet plurality, and so it's saying about Elohim, Ja or Yahuah, 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:45.620 Elohim. 00:08:45.620 --> 00:08:47.580 Yahweh is a plurality of one. 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:53.700 This Deuteronomy chapter six verse four is talking about the existence of only one God. 00:08:53.760 --> 00:08:57.740 Yet it's also at the same time referring to the plurality of this one, God. 00:08:59.020 --> 00:09:06.640 Matthew chapter 28 in verse 19 it says this, Jesus declaring to his disciples at the end of the book of Matthew, this is what he says, good, 00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:13.420 therefore, and make disciples of all nations and look what he tells him to do, baptizing him, and then the name of the father, the son, and the Holy spirit. 00:09:14.880 --> 00:09:18.860 The authority of all three carried out in the mission that he's called the church to. 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:26.560 And the interesting thing about this comment is that when he makes the statement baptizing in the name of the father, son and Holy spirit, the word name is in the singular. 00:09:27.700 --> 00:09:30.720 Yet when he communicates what we're to baptize in, he mentions in the plural. 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:39.860 Now why doesn't it say names rather than name Paul in second Corinthians 00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:46.920 chapter 13 says this, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God referring to the father and 00:09:46.920 --> 00:09:53.920 the fellowship of the Holy spirit be with you all the triunity of God working in his 00:09:53.920 --> 00:10:00.530 church peculiar how all this plays out. 00:10:00.660 --> 00:10:01.740 When you consider the gamut of scripture. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:11.280 When Tertullian uses the word Trinity or Trinity or tri unity, he's using this word to express 00:10:11.280 --> 00:10:14.390 the nature of God as it plays itself out in scripture. 00:10:15.900 --> 00:10:23.120 And so when we use the word Trinity, the definition of the term of the Trinity is very simplistic and 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:23.440 it's understanding. 00:10:24.940 --> 00:10:31.940 All it is looking at the evidence of what is stated about God throughout scripture and then re communicating 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:33.680 to that in the word of Trinity. 00:10:34.380 --> 00:10:35.640 Joss. 00:10:35.680 --> 00:10:38.260 So when we define the word Trinity, what is it that we mean? 00:10:38.320 --> 00:10:39.380 I'm going to show you this to you. 00:10:39.500 --> 00:10:40.720 It's three simple thoughts. 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:40.940 Ready? 00:10:41.940 --> 00:10:49.060 There is only one God who exists in three eternal persons that are distinct and equal. 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:55.140 There is only one God who exists in three eternal persons. 00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.770 Each of those persons are distinct and equal. 00:11:00.220 --> 00:11:05.400 One being three persons, una substantia trace persona. 00:11:05.420 --> 00:11:06.360 That's what Tertullian said. 00:11:06.760 --> 00:11:07.550 That is the Trinity. 00:11:08.780 --> 00:11:12.370 And when you look at it in scripture, this is the way it communicates to us in the Bible. 00:11:13.580 --> 00:11:16.140 We've said this repeatedly throughout this series together. 00:11:16.140 --> 00:11:21.400 I don't, I don't know that we need to go back and highlight much of this, but the Bible communicates repeatedly. 00:11:22.380 --> 00:11:23.880 There is only one God. 00:11:24.640 --> 00:11:31.740 In fact, just to highlight this, I've, I've gone to other verses that we have not used in this in the series together to reiterate the fact that the Bible says 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:38.960 there is only one God, first Kings eight 60 that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none 00:11:38.960 --> 00:11:39.640 else. 00:11:40.280 --> 00:11:44.060 Isaiah 45 verse five I am the Lord and there is none else. 00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:46.470 There is no God beside me. 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.020 I girded the tho thou has not known me. 00:11:50.600 --> 00:11:55.680 Deuteronomy four 35 unto thee that was that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God. 00:11:55.680 --> 00:11:57.590 There is none else beside him. 00:11:58.940 --> 00:12:00.320 There is only one God. 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:05.320 This one, God exists eternally in three persons. 00:12:06.900 --> 00:12:14.160 Galatians one one Paul an apostle not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus 00:12:14.380 --> 00:12:16.600 Christ and God the father who raised him from the dead. 00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:20.080 So one God existing in three persons. 00:12:20.120 --> 00:12:23.860 You see in this passage that God is referred to as the father. 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:32.180 There is God the father in addition, in other scriptures, his refers refers to Jesus 00:12:32.180 --> 00:12:33.020 as God. 00:12:33.020 --> 00:12:37.390 Colossians two nine we studied recently together for in him talking about Christ. 00:12:37.880 --> 00:12:40.480 All the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. 00:12:41.980 --> 00:12:45.120 Hebrews chapter one verse three, he is the radiance of his glory. 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:50.100 Jesus is the radiance of the father's glory and the exact representation of his nature. 00:12:50.960 --> 00:12:58.460 This is a particularly important verse because when people study the idea of the Trinity, the tendency is sometimes it's to lower the identity of Jesus, meaning 00:12:58.460 --> 00:13:05.460 he's a what they call a subordinate to the father, which isn't biblical or he's one third of 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:07.140 God, which isn't biblical either. 00:13:08.520 --> 00:13:12.540 Jesus is completely, fully God. 00:13:12.860 --> 00:13:15.060 The father is completely, fully got the Holy spirit is completely fully God. 00:13:15.060 --> 00:13:17.100 They're not subordinate to one another, but rather equal. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:24.760 And so it's telling us in Hebrews one and referring to the nature of Christ, he is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation 00:13:24.760 --> 00:13:25.740 of his nature. 00:13:27.140 --> 00:13:31.080 Jesus is everything that the father is in, the nature that is of God. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:33.920 And then the Holy spirit. 00:13:34.020 --> 00:13:40.100 The same thing John four 24 tells us that God is spirit doesn't say God has a spirit. 00:13:40.540 --> 00:13:47.540 God is a spirit, but rather God is spirit and acts five and verse three and four and a nice sense 00:13:47.540 --> 00:13:52.560 of fire when they're, when they're lying to the apostles, they're also lying to God. 00:13:52.560 --> 00:13:53.520 And it says this to them. 00:13:53.880 --> 00:14:01.070 This is just the summary of the statements in verse three, chapter five of acts and says, Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy spirit. 00:14:01.900 --> 00:14:09.220 And then in reference to the Holy spirit says this, you have not lied to men, but to God, it's saying the Holy spirit is God. 00:14:09.280 --> 00:14:16.540 In this passage of scripture, when we talk about the, three personages are in 00:14:16.540 --> 00:14:18.680 the one being, that is God. 00:14:18.680 --> 00:14:25.780 What makes the Holy spirit a person or personality is demonstrating in the fact that there's passages of scripture that tell 00:14:25.780 --> 00:14:30.280 us, for instance, in Ephesians chapter four, in verse 30, do not grieve the Holy spirit. 00:14:30.360 --> 00:14:33.520 The Holy spirit can grieve as a person or an a. 00:14:33.560 --> 00:14:38.860 In first Thessalonians five 19, do not, do not coach the Holy spirit. 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:39.830 The Holy spirit can be quenched. 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:47.910 And so the representation, the personality of the Holy spirit is seen in its, in its ability to be grieved or to be quenched. 00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:56.680 And so you see that the God being explained being represented three persons in these passages of scripture and these aren't the only ones 00:14:56.680 --> 00:15:04.620 in the Bible there is a plethora demonstrating this and you see it in the equality that's talked about as 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:07.820 each person is mentioned as being distinct and equal. 00:15:09.260 --> 00:15:16.480 In Matthew 28 when Jesus declared the church going to all the world and baptize in the name of the father, son, Holy spirit, he's showing the distinction of 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:23.740 the triunity, the distinction of the spirit, distinction of the son, distinction of the father and the equality being baptized in 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:24.460 all three. 00:15:26.300 --> 00:15:32.880 In Matthew chapter three in verse 16 and 17 Jesus at the baptism, it shows the triunity of God at work. 00:15:32.940 --> 00:15:40.140 Here again, it says after being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold the heavens were open and he saw the spirit of God descending as 00:15:40.140 --> 00:15:42.880 a dove and light lining on him. 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:50.980 And behold, a voice of the heaven said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased and this passage you see the distinction of 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:54.810 father, son and spirit, Jesus being baptized, the father speaking in the spirit descending. 00:15:56.800 --> 00:16:01.640 Jesus himself said this in John 10 and verse 30 I and the father are one. 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:08.580 This idea of one isn't one in purpose. 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:14.410 In fact, if what Jesus was saying here is I and the father are one in purpose. 00:16:15.540 --> 00:16:22.760 If you read the rest of this passage in John 10 verse 33 it tells us the Jews picked up stones to stone him because he not only he made himself equal with God. 00:16:22.780 --> 00:16:28.040 That was the claim that they said Jesus is making himself equal with God and so they wanted to kill him. 00:16:28.900 --> 00:16:33.410 If what Jesus meant in this passage was that I and the father, just one in purpose, the Jews would have heard. 00:16:33.520 --> 00:16:34.630 Jesus said, you know what, we are too. 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:37.200 We want to live the purpose of the father in this world as well. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:43.600 There had been no reason to stone Jesus, but they understood exactly what Jesus was saying and by saying I and the father are one. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:48.700 He's equating equality with the father, which is why the Jews wanted to stone him. 00:16:50.700 --> 00:16:57.700 You see the distinction and the equality of the three persons making up the one being of the 00:16:57.700 --> 00:17:00.630 Trinity within the passages of scripture. 00:17:03.380 --> 00:17:05.700 Desiring God's ministry is led by John Piper. 00:17:05.780 --> 00:17:08.099 When it talks about the definition of Trinity, this is the way he says it. 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:09.540 This is the way they define it. 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:14.980 There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons. 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:18.680 Father, son and Holy spirit stated differently. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:21.300 God is one in essence in three in persons. 00:17:22.760 --> 00:17:24.940 These definitions express three crucial trues. 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.480 The father, son, and Holy spirit are distinct persons. 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:32.560 Each person is fully God and there is only one God. 00:17:35.580 --> 00:17:38.300 That's an important concept of wrapped our mind around. 00:17:38.300 --> 00:17:45.380 Remember, there is only one God who exists eternally, each person distinct and equal in 00:17:45.380 --> 00:17:46.060 their nature. 00:17:46.960 --> 00:17:51.500 The reason this is important to grab a hold of is because of the misconception. 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:53.920 I often hear communicated about the Trinity. 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:59.400 For example, Matthew chapter three in verse 16 this is a very popular one. 00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:06.860 I hear people bring up, well, how can Jesus be being 00:18:06.860 --> 00:18:08.700 baptized in the father speaking? 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:11.570 This is often referred to as the ventriloquist passage of scripture. 00:18:12.020 --> 00:18:19.220 People think that we believe Jesus is the father and they are and it is the spirit and so they read this passage before Christians 00:18:19.220 --> 00:18:25.690 and think, well how could you believe in the Trinity when Jesus is here and the father is speaking in the spirits descending? 00:18:26.080 --> 00:18:32.840 What is Jesus throwing his voice from heaven pretending to be the father as if we believe that the father and Jesus are the same thing and we don't. 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:34.030 That is not biblical. 00:18:34.760 --> 00:18:42.040 Anytime someone takes you this passage as if it this proves the Trinity, you can look at this passage and be like, I believe this passage, the father is not the son 00:18:42.040 --> 00:18:43.390 and the son is not the spirit. 00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:50.660 They are distinct to assert that we would believe they're the same thing is what's called modalism and that's been 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:53.720 declared heretical throughout church history. 00:18:54.040 --> 00:19:00.820 We do not believe that the father and the son and the spirit are distinct from one another. 00:19:01.860 --> 00:19:03.180 They're not the same person. 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:14.500 One of the concepts then that goes further from this, well, the reason that you believe in the Trinity and you're so confused about 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:21.540 this is because the Nicene creed Constantine came along in three after three 00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:27.900 12 he gave the edict of Milan, which for the first time made Christianity legal and the Roman empire. 00:19:27.900 --> 00:19:31.880 In three 25 he brought together the church for the Nicene creed. 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:34.390 Over 318 church leaders gathered together. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:40.080 They wrote the creed of the church and Constantine, because he was a worldly man, he corrupted it. 00:19:40.440 --> 00:19:42.080 And that's where Christianity was perverted. 00:19:42.340 --> 00:19:43.720 That's where apostasy came in. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:49.020 And from that point forward, it was just darkness on the world because of the corruption of Constantine presented into the church. 00:19:49.800 --> 00:19:51.540 That's what a sir, it's asserted. 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:54.820 And that's why if Christians believe in the Trinity, why they're wrong. 00:19:55.340 --> 00:20:03.000 And I just want us to know this morning, if someone shares that with you do not let them walk away believing that, okay, that 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:04.780 is inaccurate to history. 00:20:05.120 --> 00:20:08.070 It is a gross perversion of what happened in history. 00:20:08.520 --> 00:20:09.890 It is so far from the truth. 00:20:10.700 --> 00:20:17.780 It's almost if you just studied church history and you genuinely think that people believe that a part of 00:20:17.780 --> 00:20:20.270 you just wants to feel bad, that someone would believe that. 00:20:20.300 --> 00:20:21.210 And a part of it is laughable. 00:20:22.460 --> 00:20:29.720 I mean, just to think that concept that that's the portraying of belief of what church history 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:30.560 was. 00:20:30.600 --> 00:20:33.980 It's not, it's a gross misrepresentation. 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:37.660 So let me just share with you a little bit about church history, so you know, okay. 00:20:39.670 --> 00:20:46.960 you'll hear this come up sometimes when people dialogue the word Catholic, the word Catholic was used 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:48.720 from the first century of the early church. 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:50.900 The word Catholic literally means just universal. 00:20:51.660 --> 00:20:56.920 The Catholic church to its earliest can date itself to around the sixth century with Pope Gregory. 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:57.640 Okay. 00:20:57.840 --> 00:21:03.830 So the Catholic church did not come into existence in the first century, but the church used the word Catholic to represent itself. 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:08.440 It referred to itself as the universal church, the uh, the people of God. 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:15.980 And so that term was used and when the Catholic church was born, they began to just grab hold of that word to refer to themselves as the universal church into 00:21:15.980 --> 00:21:16.640 the sixth century. 00:21:17.180 --> 00:21:20.180 In the sixth century there wasn't just the Catholic church. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.960 The church was divided between the East and the West. 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:29.320 There was the Eastern Orthodox, the Catholic church, and there were other branches of Christianity during that time as well. 00:21:29.320 --> 00:21:29.420 Okay. 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.800 But dealing with the detail of the nice creed, just so you're aware of what happens. 00:21:36.140 --> 00:21:38.720 Christianity began to be persecuted from the very first century. 00:21:39.760 --> 00:21:46.400 People like Peter and Paul were killed by the emperor Nero for the next 250 years. 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:54.340 Christianity faces persecution out of the 250 years, the next 250 years after nearest persecution in the 60s and sometimes 00:21:54.340 --> 00:21:57.310 it was localized, sometimes it was throughout the Roman empire. 00:21:58.220 --> 00:22:05.300 In fact, Trajan the emperor Trajan is there's a writings of him writing to apply any of the younger talking about killing Christians and how they go 00:22:05.300 --> 00:22:08.450 about executing justice against Christianity. 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:17.460 A Ignatius Iranian giving their lives in the first century, they were discipled by John as followers of the apostle 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:23.120 John, they gave their lives for Christ into the next 250 years. 00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:25.310 This persecution is throughout the Roman empire. 00:22:25.720 --> 00:22:32.860 The last emperor before, before Constantine was a man by the name of Diocletian Diocletian's desire 00:22:32.860 --> 00:22:37.360 was to wipe Christianity off of the earth and to burn every copy of the Bible. 00:22:38.140 --> 00:22:40.930 That was his stated goal against Christianity. 00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:45.320 After Diocletian, that's when Constantine comes in. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:48.260 Tom Constantine gives the edict of Milan. 00:22:48.260 --> 00:22:54.180 He conversed to Christ, having seen the vision, of Christ to the cross going into battle. 00:22:54.180 --> 00:22:58.830 He becomes a believer, writes the edict of Milan declaring the legalization of Christianity. 00:22:59.340 --> 00:23:03.320 And now for the first time Christian leaders can gather together without the fear of persecution. 00:23:04.360 --> 00:23:05.440 He brings them together. 00:23:05.520 --> 00:23:08.840 In Nicea, they formulate the niacin creed. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:15.240 318 church leaders gathered together to write the formulation of what is the belief of Christianity. 00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:21.420 One of the reasons that Constantine calls the Nicene creed together is because of a man named areas. 00:23:22.140 --> 00:23:25.980 Areas was a heretic who taught against Christianne or taught against the Trinity. 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:33.800 Constantine brings all of the church leaders together to give a declaration of the Trinity and invites areas to the event. 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:42.290 When these individual leaders gathered together, they are just coming off the back of persecution. 00:23:44.020 --> 00:23:48.880 I have read church history related to the nice credence and the individuals that gathered together. 00:23:50.060 --> 00:23:57.060 Some historians estimate that over 300 of those 318 that gathered for the Nicene creed had been in 00:23:57.060 --> 00:23:58.880 prison, had suffered. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:01.020 Shame, had been beaten for their faith in Christ. 00:24:02.520 --> 00:24:04.660 Some of them were blind, some of them were lame. 00:24:05.080 --> 00:24:07.160 Some of them didn't have use of their hands or their arms. 00:24:08.040 --> 00:24:10.980 These were individuals that stood for their faith and belief. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:13.640 They were not afraid to stand up to the emperor. 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:21.780 There was no way Constantine was going to influence them because no emperor to that point had, and they were willingly giving up their lives 00:24:21.780 --> 00:24:29.100 to stand for what they believed in and to suggest that Constantine influence those who had previously been in jail, 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:31.140 who had been released by the edict of Milan. 00:24:31.520 --> 00:24:34.760 Now gathering together is laughable to consider. 00:24:36.780 --> 00:24:39.420 These individuals were giving their lives for Christ. 00:24:39.500 --> 00:24:43.790 We're being beaten for Christ, and they were not afraid to stand up to an emperor. 00:24:46.400 --> 00:24:55.040 So when they gathered together for the first time publicly able to articulate the 00:24:55.120 --> 00:25:02.200 beliefs and pillars of what made up Christianity, Arius was invited heretic 00:25:02.200 --> 00:25:04.370 related to the topic of the Trinity. 00:25:05.340 --> 00:25:07.960 They even gave an opportunity to share during that time. 00:25:09.200 --> 00:25:12.020 Interesting fact about the Nicene creed is that Santa Claus was present. 00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:20.840 If you go back, and you can look at this later for fun, but as Arius was sharing his heretical view on Christianity, Santa 00:25:20.840 --> 00:25:22.140 Claus actually punched him in the face. 00:25:23.160 --> 00:25:25.060 You can get t-shirts that says Santa Claus punch. 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:26.100 They're nice. 00:25:26.340 --> 00:25:27.430 Or at least that's what history says. 00:25:28.560 --> 00:25:30.880 And so if you hate on the Nicene creed, you hate Santa Claus. 00:25:32.350 --> 00:25:37.080 318 people sharing the beliefs of Christianity. 00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:44.740 When they finally articulated the faith of Christianity and they put it to a vote, one person disagreed along with his follower 00:25:44.740 --> 00:25:46.100 on the topic of the Trinity. 00:25:46.520 --> 00:25:47.040 Do you know who it was? 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:50.580 Areas, areas. 00:25:50.820 --> 00:25:58.740 One of his followers, the rest of Christianity formulates what is the Trinity or proclaims 00:25:58.740 --> 00:25:59.800 I should say, what is the Trinity? 00:25:59.880 --> 00:26:01.730 They didn't invent the concept here. 00:26:02.120 --> 00:26:09.120 A Trin Tertullian had already been using the word and it has been communicated in scripture and one of the reasons I think areas had such a 00:26:09.120 --> 00:26:12.420 misunderstanding of scriptures because he didn't understand the way it was communicated in the new Testament. 00:26:12.540 --> 00:26:13.830 I want to share some of that with you now. 00:26:14.340 --> 00:26:21.540 Areas comes from the background of a place where they spoke Latin rather than Greek and not understand the Greek manuscripts of the Bible, I think led to his perversion 00:26:21.540 --> 00:26:22.980 of understanding how the Trinity works. 00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:30.600 And so let me just throw out for us some of the questions that are often asked about the Trinity or misconceptions that are developed in the Trinity that 00:26:30.600 --> 00:26:32.780 people try to root itself in scripture. 00:26:33.300 --> 00:26:39.040 The first comes from Colassians chapter one in verse teen, find the word firstborn unrelated to Jesus. 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:43.100 In fact, Jehovah's witness will often come here to show you that Jesus was born. 00:26:43.100 --> 00:26:50.120 They'll assert that Jesus was born and there's a lesser being than the father when the problems with that is they don't understand the 00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:56.040 origin of the Greek texts from which this verse was written, nor the nature of Jesus as is communicated in scripture. 00:26:56.080 --> 00:27:03.440 And so in Clawson chapter one in verse 15 it says this, talking about Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:04.160 of all creation. 00:27:05.020 --> 00:27:07.380 And then from there it goes on to explain the deity of Christ. 00:27:07.660 --> 00:27:09.220 But let's just harp on this verse for a minute. 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:13.580 Jesus is the firstborn of all creation in Greek. 00:27:13.580 --> 00:27:14.910 There are two words for firstborn. 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:19.070 One is part of [inaudible] and the other is proto. 00:27:19.340 --> 00:27:20.280 TCS, okay? 00:27:21.320 --> 00:27:23.360 Proto Tokos is what's used here. 00:27:24.140 --> 00:27:28.440 Prototype DCS means firstborn as well, but something different related to the firstborn prototype. 00:27:29.060 --> 00:27:29.900 This means preeminent. 00:27:30.560 --> 00:27:36.580 The one who rules the firstborn, who rules put a TCS means the first born in order, okay? 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:42.760 When they use [inaudible] in this passage and not prone to TCS, what they're saying is Jesus is the preeminent one. 00:27:42.760 --> 00:27:46.180 The ruler, not literally the first born, okay. 00:27:47.060 --> 00:27:54.280 And in Psalm chapter 89 verse 27 talking about King David, it refers to him as the first born, but Jesus was, or excuse 00:27:54.280 --> 00:27:55.920 me, David wasn't the first born in his family. 00:27:57.180 --> 00:28:01.810 When it's referring to David as being the first born in saying he is the preeminent one, he is the King of Israel. 00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:09.960 And so in Clawson, chapter one, verse 15 when it's talking about Jesus in reference to being firstborn, it's not literally saying proto TCS, the first one 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.630 born, but rather [inaudible]. 00:28:12.520 --> 00:28:13.660 The first one in preeminence. 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:15.480 Jesus is the ruler. 00:28:15.980 --> 00:28:16.710 He is the head. 00:28:17.620 --> 00:28:21.620 He is everything that the church is centered on her and the rest of Clawson's goes on to explain this. 00:28:22.080 --> 00:28:29.160 So the phrase firstborn doesn't mean the first one literally born to just assert that from the text is a misunderstanding 00:28:29.170 --> 00:28:31.050 of what's communicated in the Greek language. 00:28:31.540 --> 00:28:33.400 It's a misunderstanding of the tribal unity of God. 00:28:35.820 --> 00:28:39.240 In addition to that, the phrase son of God, right? 00:28:39.560 --> 00:28:46.100 Mark one one starts off like this and the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God, Jesus. 00:28:46.100 --> 00:28:48.740 Dan must literally be the physical son of God, right? 00:28:48.780 --> 00:28:50.440 That's the assertion people make. 00:28:50.440 --> 00:28:53.720 And so that makes him less than the father because he was, he was the son of God. 00:28:53.960 --> 00:29:01.160 Now keep in mind here, this is the nature of God trying to explain itself to 00:29:01.180 --> 00:29:05.360 us and concepts that we can grasp in our own relational understanding. 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:11.360 And so when it's trying to explain the nature of God, it's using the phrase son of God. 00:29:11.640 --> 00:29:17.720 But this is what's important to understand what the phrase son of God is, to look at the way that this passage or this statement is used within scripture. 00:29:19.380 --> 00:29:26.700 In fact, when you look at other places of scripture, the phrase son of his used to state the nature of 00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:31.740 or the representation of, okay, so you think about Judas for a minute. 00:29:31.740 --> 00:29:37.420 Judas in John 17 is called the son of perdition or literally the son of hell. 00:29:38.420 --> 00:29:43.700 It's not telling us hell had children, but the nature of hell is represented in Judas. 00:29:44.940 --> 00:29:46.620 James and John are called the sons of thunder. 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:49.780 Thunder can't have kids, right? 00:29:50.520 --> 00:29:55.160 But what it's saying to us is the nature of thunder is represented in their behavior. 00:29:55.760 --> 00:29:57.590 Barnabas is called the son of encouragement. 00:29:58.700 --> 00:30:04.020 Not that encouragement had children, but that the nature of encouragement is represented in Barnabas. 00:30:05.280 --> 00:30:12.600 So when Jesus is called the son of God, it's saying to us the nature of God is in him, which is congruent 00:30:12.600 --> 00:30:13.840 with the rest of scripture. 00:30:14.800 --> 00:30:21.660 Jesus in him, the deity dwells Colossians one 15 and two nine he is the exact representation of his being. 00:30:21.680 --> 00:30:28.800 And Hebrews chapter one in verse three I and the father are one in John chapter 10 and verse 30 in John chapter 20 in verse 28 my Lord 00:30:28.800 --> 00:30:35.940 and my God, Thomas says before Jesus and John chapter three in verse 16 you 00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:37.560 may turn to this and say, well, what about this? 00:30:37.660 --> 00:30:42.060 When it references Jesus, his son, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. 00:30:42.540 --> 00:30:50.380 I would say for us that in reference to being the son, recognize that it says he is the only one like this, but 00:30:50.400 --> 00:30:55.800 the nature that Jesus possesses, scripture makes clear it's only in Jesus is not in anyone else. 00:30:55.900 --> 00:31:03.000 In fact, when it talks about us being children of God are sons of God, it says to those who received him become children of God and you're not by nature 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:06.310 a child of God, but rather you have to be adopted in by nature. 00:31:06.660 --> 00:31:12.040 Jesus is the son of God, the only one who is like this, the only begotten son of God. 00:31:12.420 --> 00:31:15.500 And when you study this phrase, only be gotten in the Greek. 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:20.730 It's Managa NACE, which is where we get the word singular motto and genetics. 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:29.400 It's literally saying Jesus is the only one of this kind or class, and so when scientifically you rank species according 00:31:29.400 --> 00:31:33.690 to kinder class, Jesus is the only one that could be ranked with the father. 00:31:34.020 --> 00:31:36.120 He is the only one that possesses this. 00:31:36.300 --> 00:31:39.300 Nature is the only begotten son of God. 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:47.760 The Greek text isn't trying to get us to take this literal in the sense that he is physically birthed from God, but rather saying to us that 00:31:47.760 --> 00:31:49.820 he is the representation of the nature of God. 00:31:50.240 --> 00:31:51.380 God is in him. 00:31:52.380 --> 00:31:53.780 It's a claim to his deity. 00:31:56.880 --> 00:31:59.040 What about the phrase father then, right? 00:32:00.360 --> 00:32:04.120 It talks about, you know we talked about Jesus being the son, but what about God being the father? 00:32:05.420 --> 00:32:06.440 Let's say the same thing again. 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:13.380 God is communicating his character, his attributes to us and concepts that we can understand relationally. 00:32:15.320 --> 00:32:20.200 And when you go back and study the phrase father as it relates to God within scripture, it relates to spiritual beings within scripture. 00:32:21.600 --> 00:32:25.920 I mean it uses the phrase father for the devil and it uses the phrase father for Jesus as well. 00:32:27.760 --> 00:32:30.540 John eight 44 Jesus and referring to those that are rejecting him. 00:32:31.060 --> 00:32:39.600 He says, you are your father, the devil, Jesus literally asserting here that the devil had children but 00:32:39.600 --> 00:32:43.800 rather than nature of their behaviors reflecting where they are from. 00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:50.920 Isaiah chapter nine in verse six I'm talking about Jesus in this coming. 00:32:51.080 --> 00:32:58.560 He says this for child to be born to us, somebody given to us, the government rest on the shoulders and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal 00:32:58.560 --> 00:33:06.820 father, Prince of 00:33:06.820 --> 00:33:06.820 peace. 00:33:06.820 --> 00:33:12.610 Jesus in this passage is referenced as the father. 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:23.220 So when you look at problem passages of scripture or places that people go and misunderstanding of the Trinity, it's honestly 00:33:24.580 --> 00:33:27.140 just their misunderstanding of what a passage of scripture says. 00:33:30.320 --> 00:33:36.020 Firstborn is his preeminence, not the order of him coming into existence. 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:41.000 The Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 13 verse eight Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.880 His nature has always been consistent. 00:33:43.540 --> 00:33:44.200 He doesn't change. 00:33:45.620 --> 00:33:49.340 And the reason he doesn't change is because he is eternal God. 00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:50.420 He has always been. 00:33:51.840 --> 00:33:55.280 So revelation refers to him as the alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. 00:33:55.280 --> 00:34:04.420 That's what Jesus called himself the great I am the one who exists or the self existent one and John eight 58 is 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:07.020 his nature is that of the father. 00:34:07.020 --> 00:34:12.080 It's consistent in being the same because that's what eternal God is. 00:34:12.080 --> 00:34:15.320 And Jesus being God therefore holds the same nature. 00:34:15.340 --> 00:34:22.460 It's the reason Hebrews chapter one and verse three tells us he is the exact imprint of his nature, the radiance of his glory. 00:34:26.600 --> 00:34:32.600 So when you study the idea of firstborn it in relationship to the Trinity, it's the preeminence of Christ. 00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:37.880 The phrase son of God isn't reflecting physically being born from God, but rather the nature of God. 00:34:37.920 --> 00:34:45.020 Again, the word only be gotten son isn't saying that he is, he came from God being born again, but rather the nature 00:34:45.020 --> 00:34:47.500 of God being expressed in the son. 00:34:47.500 --> 00:34:49.520 He is the only one of that kind or class. 00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:59.800 And so when Jesus, Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 says, go into all the world and baptizing in the name of the father, son and Holy spirit. 00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:07.660 It is exactly Esther toy communicator, tryna toss trace 00:35:08.040 --> 00:35:15.280 persona onus, substantia three persons or three personalities represented in one 00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:21.500 being Jesus isn't less than the father. 00:35:23.880 --> 00:35:32.620 The spirit isn't less than Christ equal to one another, one 00:35:32.620 --> 00:35:40.140 God, eternally existing, distinctly and equally in 00:35:40.140 --> 00:35:40.600 three persons. 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:46.180 That's the Trinity, right? 00:35:46.400 --> 00:35:54.680 It is not always comprehensible, but when you just look at the verses of the Bible, it's apprehendable. 00:35:54.680 --> 00:35:55.570 You're saying your head wall. 00:35:55.780 --> 00:35:56.240 How? 00:35:56.380 --> 00:35:58.020 How can I wrestle with this on my mind? 00:35:58.040 --> 00:36:02.180 Or how can I even begin to grasp how God has one being but three in person? 00:36:02.200 --> 00:36:02.960 How does that work? 00:36:03.120 --> 00:36:10.200 And I gotta be honest and tell you every example in nature breaks down to some degree because there is 00:36:10.200 --> 00:36:12.100 nothing like it in nature. 00:36:13.680 --> 00:36:16.660 That's the incomprehensibility of the nature, the nature of God. 00:36:16.680 --> 00:36:18.480 But here, here's something that might help your mind. 00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:19.000 Think about it. 00:36:19.380 --> 00:36:20.620 You being created in God's image. 00:36:20.620 --> 00:36:21.880 Just think about this for a moment. 00:36:24.200 --> 00:36:25.260 God created you. 00:36:27.100 --> 00:36:30.280 There's theological debate over a trichotomy or dichotomy. 00:36:30.320 --> 00:36:31.260 We'll go dichotomy here. 00:36:31.340 --> 00:36:32.700 God created you as a two part being. 00:36:33.140 --> 00:36:38.660 Okay, body and spirit. 00:36:39.560 --> 00:36:45.720 When you die, your body will be separated from your spirit, right? 00:36:45.860 --> 00:36:51.500 But the Bible promises that God will resurrect your body and join body and spirit again in a glorified state. 00:36:52.800 --> 00:36:59.900 But when you die and your body and spirit are separated according to scripture, though your spirit is in one place and though your body is 00:36:59.900 --> 00:37:03.060 in another, it's still you. 00:37:05.200 --> 00:37:07.580 You will be separate, but yet you will still be one. 00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:14.560 Your body and spirit is will still be you and God will resurrect that and rejoin that together. 00:37:14.600 --> 00:37:21.680 So if you could just conceive in your moment how you can separate from yourself, they give you a little bit of idea of how the nature 00:37:21.700 --> 00:37:22.700 of God could do the same. 00:37:24.780 --> 00:37:26.260 Well, let me give you some practical thought too. 00:37:28.720 --> 00:37:31.690 Why is the doctrine of the Trinity so important for us? 00:37:34.320 --> 00:37:35.640 Well, God created us in his nature. 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:38.480 Alright? 00:37:38.780 --> 00:37:45.800 Which to be honest is probably why we as people yearn for community so much because God within his nature, 00:37:46.480 --> 00:37:54.440 his community, one of the TV shows that I have maybe a slight addiction to is the show called alone where 00:37:54.440 --> 00:37:58.320 they drop people off on an Island by themselves and they have to see how long they can survive. 00:37:58.580 --> 00:37:59.680 They've done two seasons of this. 00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:03.480 I think the longest guy that survived is like a little over 60 some days. 00:38:04.300 --> 00:38:05.940 Most of the people that go on this Island do pretty good. 00:38:05.960 --> 00:38:06.420 They get survivalist. 00:38:06.840 --> 00:38:11.520 They do pretty good in surviving on their own, but the thing that drives them crazy is that they're alone. 00:38:13.220 --> 00:38:16.190 There's no companionship there. 00:38:17.200 --> 00:38:24.380 Within the Godhead, there is community and you being created in God's image long 00:38:24.380 --> 00:38:25.120 for community. 00:38:25.160 --> 00:38:26.900 But here's the cool thing about God's community. 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:32.480 God's community isn't dependent upon us. 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:34.580 It doesn't need us. 00:38:37.020 --> 00:38:40.520 His community among the Trinity is perfect. 00:38:43.520 --> 00:38:50.400 It's a demonstration to us of how our community should interact, right? 00:38:50.440 --> 00:38:57.440 I mean, when you think about first Corinthians chapter three in chapter 13 verse 14 explains 00:38:57.500 --> 00:39:04.720 how this community works on our Bennett for our benefit that God doesn't need us, but even still, 00:39:04.820 --> 00:39:10.060 he chooses to lavish his grace and love upon you that you may experience fellowship with him for all of eternity. 00:39:12.980 --> 00:39:17.240 God's community isn't dependent upon him, but look, this community works for our wellbeing. 00:39:17.380 --> 00:39:24.720 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross and the love of God displayed to us as he sent the son on 00:39:24.720 --> 00:39:25.900 the fellowship of the Holy spirit. 00:39:26.020 --> 00:39:29.690 Be with you all or you think about the way biblically. 00:39:30.200 --> 00:39:31.620 We're taught to pray in scripture. 00:39:33.160 --> 00:39:40.400 We pray to the father in the name of the son by the power of the Holy spirit that indwells 00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:41.480 us. 00:39:42.580 --> 00:39:53.120 You pray to the father because of the authority of the son or in the name of the son, by the power of the Holy spirit that ends Wells, his people, God 00:39:53.120 --> 00:39:55.950 is community, not dependent upon us, but in his community. 00:39:56.200 --> 00:40:02.160 He demonstrates to us why and our nature we loaned to be a part of something greater than ourselves. 00:40:05.040 --> 00:40:06.720 Why companionship is so important. 00:40:09.500 --> 00:40:16.660 Why loves to be expressed, why we live life, eh, 00:40:16.660 --> 00:40:18.660 seeking fellowship with one another. 00:40:18.660 --> 00:40:22.320 It's because it's rooted in the identity of the Trinity. 00:40:24.220 --> 00:40:30.070 And so when we think about the Trinity for us, not only is it biblical Nolan, is it a pillar of the Christian faith? 00:40:31.440 --> 00:40:34.440 It's also foundational to the way that we express ourselves as human beings. 00:40:37.300 --> 00:40:41.990 You can't have community without unity and you can't have unity without community. 00:40:46.220 --> 00:40:51.560 God's desire for his church, it's to make his glory known. 00:40:53.260 --> 00:40:58.500 And I think one of the most beautiful ways that we display his glory is in the community that we carry. 00:41:00.220 --> 00:41:08.100 In fact, let me just close with this thought in acts chapter two in verse 42 it's 00:41:08.140 --> 00:41:09.400 talking about the church here. 00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:18.120 It says this, they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship and the breaking of bread and everyone kept feeling a sense of all in many wonders 00:41:18.120 --> 00:41:25.140 and signs were taking place to the apostles and all of those who had believed were together and had all things in common and they began selling their property and possessions 00:41:25.140 --> 00:41:32.600 and were sharing with them with all as anyone might have need day by day continuing with one mind in the temple and breaking bread from house to house. 00:41:32.700 --> 00:41:39.700 They were their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and 00:41:39.720 --> 00:41:43.920 so you see as they're describing themselves, living as a community and how beautiful it looks. 00:41:43.920 --> 00:41:50.500 Listen to this and the Lord was adding to their number day by day, those who were being saved. 00:41:54.280 --> 00:41:59.690 When a community lives in unity, the way that God designs us to it is beautiful. 00:41:59.880 --> 00:42:01.240 It is attractive and is glorious. 00:42:03.400 --> 00:42:10.160 Seeing the way the Trinity works for the redemption of our souls, father sending the son, son, giving his life with the spirit may indwell us. 00:42:10.380 --> 00:42:10.820 It is beautiful. 00:42:11.020 --> 00:42:13.430 It is attractive as redeemed to us. 00:42:14.880 --> 00:42:20.390 We as a church display that unity that God has demonstrated to us and the way that we live our lives. 00:42:20.580 --> 00:42:22.540 It is beautiful, does attractive you to scaling. 00:42:22.700 --> 00:42:30.000 It is helpful to those around us within your own home, God creating marriage in the beginning of the book of Genesis, when you experience 00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:33.020 unity within your relationship, the home has blessed. 00:42:33.320 --> 00:42:34.360 It is beautiful, it is attractive. 00:42:35.800 --> 00:42:38.360 It is life giving to those around you. 00:42:39.900 --> 00:42:40.800 Trinity is biblical. 00:42:41.760 --> 00:42:44.980 It is practical and it's a pillow over her face.